Cadillac will add value as 11th F1 team, says McLaren’s Zak Brown
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CEO of McLaren Zak Brown celebrates with the team after driver Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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LONDON – Cadillac’s arrival in Formula One in 2026 as an 11th team will bring added financial value with new partners and more fan engagement rather than diluting resources, according to McLaren’s chief executive Zak Brown.
With their European headquarters at Silverstone located close to other factories, the General Motors-backed team have already taken staff from rival outfits and are also competing for sponsorship.
But Brown, whose team comprising Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are dominating the 2025 championship after winning the 2024 constructors’ title, saw no reason to fear a dilution of resources.
“I think on employees they are definitely going to take a lot more than they give, which is fine,” he said at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“My general view is if someone wants to go work for a rival team, then shame on me. For sponsors, I think they’ll bring more to the table than take.”
Brown also expected Cadillac to bring more competition eventually, although they faced a tough challenge as newcomers, and more fans to a series that now has three United States rounds – Miami, Austin and Las Vegas – and a growing audience in America.
“Will we get a better US TV deal, more American presence? I think their sponsors and Cadillac will spend money in the sport. The teams get a percentage of that, so I see them as a value-add to the sport,” he added.
“I’m not worried about maybe some of the short term-ness of they are going to take an employee here or there or poach a sponsor here or there. I think the contribution will be bigger than that.”
Cadillac secured approval of their bid in March, after a 764-day entry process and initial opposition from Formula One and the other 10 teams wary of a potential reduction in the share of revenues.
The team are also backed by TWG Global, whose chief executive Mark Walter has an estimated net worth of US$13.5 billion (S$17.35 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The first new team since US-owned Haas debuted in 2016 said in July they were already two-thirds of the way towards a targeted headcount of 600 by next season and no longer even the smallest outfit.
REUTERS
